Burke Museum launches new program to support Native art and artists

Posted: November 8, 2012 - 1:06am

The Burke Museum in Seattle has announced a new program of the Bill Holm Center for the Study of Northwest Coast Art, called Connections to Culture, designed to expand the center’s research grants program. Research grants allow artists to study the objects and archives in the Burke Museum’s collections, travel to other museums, and pass their knowledge on through workshops.

In addition to increasing the research grant program, Connections to Culture will further develop the Bill Holm Center’s role as an information hub to those interested in the vitality of Native art in the region, and allow the center to make grants to Native arts organizations for the first time.

The Bill Holm Center for the Study of Northwest Coast Art was established at the Burke Museum in 2003 to continue Bill Holm’s legacy at the museum. It is one of the premier centers for the study of Native arts of the Pacific Northwest Coast, providing hands-on learning opportunities for Native artists to study historical art in person, and connecting experienced artists with younger practitioners through workshops and art scholarships.

Connections to Culture will award grants and offer programs beginning in spring 2013. The program was made possible with support from the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation.